Unworthy
by Crazy 109
Summary: Akane goes on a pretend ‘date’ with Ryoga, trying to make Ranma jealous to get him to admit to his feelings for herbut it backfires on her. This is set after Jusendo and the failed wedding and all that.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Ranma 1/2 or its characters. Darn it!_

_Summary: Akane goes on a pretend 'date' with Ryoga, trying to make Ranma jealous; to get him to admit to his feelings for her--but it backfires on her. This is set after Jusendo and the failed wedding and all that._

_This is another angsty one. It's two chapters long, then the story takes off and crosses with a Fruits Basket fanfic I'm doing, "Neko's Healing," in that story's Chapter 9. --'Cause I'm just strange that way, that's why! . You don't have to read this one to enjoy that one; and you don't have to read that one to enjoy this one, though the end on this one is a tad...abrupt. :gearing up for incoming thrown fruit: I just wanna see Saotome Ranma and Sohma Kyo as friends::growling and breathing heavily through the nose at anybody saying I 'can't do that': P'''_

_This was done as a character piece, and doesn't clean up all of Ranma's troubles or anything like that. I just wanted a big misunderstanding to come up, to get Ranma and Akane to _talk _to each other for a change, and then see what happens._

_Enjoy!_

Unworthy 

_By CrazyDragon_

Chapter 1 

Ranma watched from the trees, heart bottoming out painfully to the ground below him as he watched his fiancée--the only one he'd ever be willing to actually marry--kiss his strongest rival. It seemed to go on and on forever, until they both finally came up for air.

The first, hot burst of anger and jealousy had quickly faded, when he noticed that Akane...the girl who professed to hate all boys, who suspected perversion in the most innocent of things; whose swing with her mallet was legendary...

...wasn't exactly trying to push Ryoga away.

And then--_she'd _started a second kiss; just grabbed the Lost Boy by the ears, and yanked his head down--

Ranma's shocked numbness was slowly overcome by a feeling of sad finality. He knew what he had to do now. There was no longer any putting it off; his last faint, unreasonable hope was now completely gone, with that second kiss. He decided he'd follow them just until they got back to the dojo--making sure they _did_ get back to the dojo; Akane looked rather dazed, and might mistakenly let Ryoga lead...and who knew _where_ they'd end up, then!

Ranma kept back farther from the couple now, no longer feeling any need to hear what they were talking about. His heart felt too raw as it was. He'd known Ryoga's feelings for Akane--but he hadn't realized she actually _returned _them!

Not like _that--_

He wondered, for a brief moment, if she actually did know about P-chan; and had all along. That would explain how she could appear so dense, ignoring every blatant hint he'd ever given her; she already knew, and was taunting him! At least he now understood why she was always telling him to _"stop picking on Ryoga!"_ all the time, even when Ryoga obviously started it.

"_Ranma, prepare to die!"_ indeed. It looked like he would have to, after all.

He shivered, hunching slightly in on himself as he kept to the shadows, out of their sight. He didn't bother with the Umi-sen-ken--the two of them appeared so wrapped up in each other, he doubted they'd notice if he jumped in front of them wearing a hot pink evening gown. In his _guy_ form.

With heels--_and_ makeup.

In a numb daze, he started making plans for the next day. He wouldn't let them know he'd followed them; what was the use? They obviously were head over heels for each other, and there was nothing he could do about _that._ Hell, he'd been doing everything he could to push Akane away from falling for him, since the evening he overheard her telling Nabiki how she was engaged to her 'worst nightmare'--

That memory still hurt...even more because she'd been talking to her _sister,_ thinking nobody else was around. She'd had no reason to lie; it hadn't just been a show put on for their fathers' benefit. Barely twenty-four hours after his first offer of friendship in--more years than he could really remember; and just because he was born a _boy,_ instead of a girl, his new friend suddenly hated his guts--

The twinge in his chest was sharper that time, before fading into the too-familiar dull ache. Akane had always made herfeelings for him plain--and they _weren't_ the kind to inspire thoughts of future blissful matrimony. If he ever did marry her, he knew she'd be miserable the whole time. The times she was nice to him...those were just her natural personality showing through; hints of the girl she'd been, before _he_ showed up and absolutely ruined her life.

He _refused_ to force her to marry somebody she didn't even like. He'd hoped they might be able to at least be friends, even without marrying, in spite of everything...but that hadn't seemed to be working out. All he seemed able to do was make her angry, or cry; no matter how hard he tried not to. He just--didn't understand what he was doing wrong, and no one seemed willing to actually _tell_ him. They kept assuming he really knew, and was just 'being dense'.

When they weren't purposefully trying to sabotage him, that is. Ranma had a keen mind for tactics--he'd finally figured out some of what the other girls were trying to do, when they...did what they did, and said what they said, all right in front of Akane. Once he'd thought of the fiancée mess in the context of a challenge fight, he'd started understanding more of what was going on.

That still didn't help him figure out what to _do_ about it, though. He couldn't come up with a special technique to counter the girls' tactics, without understanding how and why they worked! Just like with the most powerful martial arts ki attacks--he had to understand the principals before he could learn, and then adapt a move as his own.

He'd come to consider a girl's tears as their near-ultimate attack. It certainly always devastated _him,_ about as much as a Hiryu Shoten Ha devastated his opponents when he used it!

Telling him he was a baka, and downright stupid to boot, was not helpful. Likewise, just telling him to 'open his eyes' didn't qualify as useable advice. He didn't know what he was supposed to be _seeing!_ Tell a blind man to look at the stars, why don't they!

Ranma gathered the tattered remains of his self-control and willed himself into the Soul of Ice, trying to keep the tears at bay. They'd do no good to shed now; never mind any thoughts about being 'manly.' That word held no meaning for him anymore. It seemed an empty, miserable concept that only brought heartache to everybody, anyway.

He'd known, deep down, that Akane would eventually find someone else. Someone more worthy of her than a penniless, chaos-bringing, arrogant, sex-changing _freak _like him--

Ranma shook his head angrily. He still had things to do before the next evening; wallowing in self pity wouldn't get them done any faster. A quick glance showed Akane and Ryoga were still heading in the right direction, and his thoughts quickly drifted again.

He'd have to write several letters, first off. Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo deserved an explanation, and a goodbye; as well as his mother, and Tendo Soun. Kasumi also would receive a letter; a longer one for her, along with all the thanks for her kindness and help that he just couldn't express in words to her face...even after all the times she'd spent talking with him, late at night. She'd been the only person he'd ever known who actually seemed to care about him, as a _person; _someone worth knowing, instead of owning; with thoughts, and dreams, and feelings of his own.

Nabiki--she'd get a couple paragraphs, along with a money order. He'd have to close his bank account, and he _didn't_ want his father getting his furry mitts on any more of the money _he'd_ earned. In her own way, Nabiki had tried to help him, after all.

Images of all the damage done to the house and dojo since he came to live there flashed in front of his eyes, and he shuddered. His mere presence had been the cause of most of it. And getting all of it repaired had fallen squarely on Nabiki's shoulders. So he understood why she'd treated him like she did; in her place, he'd have likely done something a lot more damaging--and permanent!--than blackmail, and selling mildly risqué photos.

He felt he still owed her for all the trouble he'd brought to her and her family, even after the profits she'd made off those pictures. If she'd simply asked, he'd have handed over pretty much every yen he had, each week...not that he'd ever have let her know it was that easy to get his money! Except that would have been too much like paying rent, which Tendo-san wouldn't have allowed. The Saotomes were guests in the Tendo-ke, after all.

Besides--he knew very well that Nabiki enjoyed 'bilking' him all the time. Getting the better of someone in any kind of negotiations cheered her up a great deal, even when money wasn't involved. A small smile flickered across his face, before the sorrow pushed it away.

Inohara-sensei should also get a letter; she needed to know where to send his final paycheck in a couple weeks, as his bank account would be closed as of tomorrow. Tofu-sensei should definitely get an explanation, and thanks.

His baka oyaji could go live in the zoo, for all Ranma cared anymore; the old man had finally managed to mess Ranma's life up too much for the pig-tailed martial artist to deal with. At least the fat panda wouldn't be able to do that any longer. Oyaji would get by just fine without his freak of a son/daughter; he'd likely just keep mooching off Tendo-san, anyway.

Ranma decided he probably should leave a letter for Cologne, expressing his thanks...the Amazon Matriarch _had_ helped him in the past, when she didn't have to--and more than once. He'd pretty much decided that she was hanging around for the amusement factor; he also had a feeling that she'd enjoyed teaching him. If she'd _really_ wanted him back in China, Ranma was well aware that she could've easily taken him by force or drugs or magic, any time she wanted to, instead of letting Shampoo 'play' with him like she had. He had a feeling Cologne thought Japan was a good learning experience for her Great Granddaughter, and was using any excuse to stay in Nerima.

Ryoga...

Ranma's mind froze up for a moment. He'd always considered Ryoga to be his friend--his best male friend, actually--in spite of all the death threats and dirty tricks the Lost Boy had pulled on him. He'd considered those good training; after all, that's the kind of thing Pops did to him all the time! Who'd tried to teach him the Neko-ken, after all? When push came to shove, Ryoga had come through for him, however unwilling he acted about it.

Ryoga would get a very short letter; just a handful of words should do it. Ranma would simply tell him to take care of Akane.

That should be enough.

-AAA- 

Akane frowned as she closed the gate behind her, after one final wave at Ryoga. She'd been so _certain_ her plan would work! Everything had been going just like it was supposed to, until--

Until she'd kissed Ryoga. She blushed with shame at what she'd done to the poor boy, leading him on like that...she'd have to explain it all to him again the next time she saw him. She had a feeling from the goofy grin on his face that he'd forgotten the plan they'd discussed before she ever went on that mock 'date' with him. He'd apparently decided it had become real.

But--all that evening's hard work...it looked like it had all been wasted. She'd tried so hard to project happiness and excitement, just like a girl on a real date with a boy she liked...and she'd been certain she'd seen Ranma trailing them, three separate times! She'd felt the furious heat of his battle aura burning from the trees like a small sun when Ryoga bent to kiss her, but then--_nothing!_ It had cut off, just like that!

She'd expected the pig-tailed martial artist to burst from the trees and pick a fight with Ryoga; or pull some silly scheme to disrupt the date, maybe something like the time he pretended to be Ryoga's fiancée...but--_nothing! _

Wasn't he jealous! If it had been _her_ in the trees, and Ranma with one of his other, floozy fiancées, Akane knew _she _would have been too mad to think straight!

Maybe...maybe Ranma really _didn't_ care for her. She gulped a painful breath, trying to stem the tears that were threatening. If he hadn't done anything--even after _she _kissed _Ryoga--!_ He really must not care about her, after all!

Akane made it to the upstairs hall before the tsunami of tears broke free. She rushed the last few steps to her room, slamming the door behind her as she began to sob in earnest, the first few crystal tears floating through the air behind her.

-NNN- 

Nabiki frowned at the sudden storm of weeping coming from her little sister's room. What had that baka Ranma done now! She put down her magazine, idly popping a bubble with her gum, listening for her big sister's steps. Once Kasumi had calmed little sister down somewhat, Nabiki could go find out what had happened _this_ time.

Although...judging by how Akane had left the house earlier; dressed to the nines, and on _Ryoga_ of all people's arm...the mercenary girl had at least a suspicion of what _might_ have happened. Either Ranma had pulled some stupid stunt, or picked a fight, or dome _something _to break up the date--

--Or he hadn't. Nabiki hoped, for her little sister's sake, that it wasn't that last. If Ranma hadn't tried to break it up, it was probably either because one of his other fiancées had successfully detained him...or he didn't care that Akane was out on a date with Ryoga.

Nabiki hated to admit it, but it wouldn't surprise her if Ranma had been slowly falling out of love with her little sister; not with the way Akane insisted on treating him. Actually, she wasn't sure just what the hell had caused the pig-tailed martial artist to fall for Akane in the first place! His insults to her were actually dead-on accurate, most of the time--she _was_ a tomboy, and strong as a gorilla; not that those things were exactly bad, at least for a martial artist. Akane just didn't see things that way.

Besides--she really _couldn't _cook to save her life; and it _did_ threaten other peoples' lives! Kasumi had to get a certification in bio-hazard disposal, just because of little sister's culinary experiments! Nabiki had joked to her big sister, the last time Akane cooked, that Kasumi might have to find the phone number for those Sailor Senshi over in Juuban District--especially after seeing Akane's last 'dish' rush out of the kitchen, headed that way. It would be only polite to let them know where some of the Youma they fought were coming from...

Akane _was _built like a brick, too--though Nabiki knew her little sister had never realized that Ranma actually meant that she was sturdy and unbreakable; it was _not _a comment on her figure. His only specific comments about Akane's figure were to tease that his girl-form's body was built better--which was also true. Tactless, insensitive, and rather suicidal for him to say; but true none-the-less.

As for 'un-sexy'--well, how 'sexy' was it to constantly mallet somebody into Low Earth Orbit; or scream at the least provocation that he was a hentai, when he was _obviously _anything _but?_ Such behavior wasn't very 'cute,' either.

For a while there, Nabiki had seriously begun to wonder if Ranma even _liked _girls--until she'd managed to get a photo of his male form, at just the right instant and _just _that perfect angle, to notice what he'd apparently been taking great pains to keep anyone from noticing. A slight blush appeared high on Nabiki's cheeks as she grinned in an almost predatory way, remembering when she developed that photo. The camera had caught--an _image_ of..._a-hem..._a particular kind of salute, that only men could perform--that she herself had missed, seeing it live.

Any red-blooded human male beyond the age of puberty's onset that _didn't_ have any reaction what-so-ever to _Shampoo _rubbing her well-endowed body all over him had to either be gay, or about six days dead! Nabiki's estimation of the pig-tailed martial artist's self-control had risen considerably after that--er, discovery.

Her grin twitched a notch bigger. 'Wild horse,' indeed! The visual evidence had raised another estimation, too--but there was no way she was gonna let _that_ one past her lips; Akane would kill her if she heard it! Nabiki had been very careful, indeed, when she burned that picture--and its negative.

And regretful, too..._sigh!_

Nabiki had quickly figured out that Ranma was insulting Akane's _behavior_ whenever he called her 'un-cute,' not her looks. The most beautiful girl in Japan would look 'un-cute' while screaming insults like a banshee and waving a mallet about. She's also noticed that Ranma tended to tease the people he liked; just as a little boy does.

It wasn't surprising, really--what had Saotome Genma taught him about relating to people, after all? If the boy had gotten a compliment from his father on his whole ten-year training trip, Nabiki would be shocked. To Ranma, his teasing was the only way he knew to show affection for somebody--and if he'd learned different since coming to live at the Tendo-ke, well, it was still the only way he could show it without the person he liked either being taken away from him, or him being immediately forced to marry one of his multitude of fiancées.

Nabiki had caught glimpses of expressions on Ranma's face, when he didn't think anyone could see, that had led her to believe his whole 'dumb martial arts jock' routine was just that--an act. She hadn't been sure the first couple times she saw them, but careful study had confirmed that Ranma was much more aware of things going on around him than he let on.

He had a lot in common with Kasumi, in that--Nabiki knew her big sister actively cultivated her air of obliviousness, simultaneously getting better information on what was happening around her than even Nabiki could. She _still_ hadn't figured out half of how Kasumi did it!

There had been looks on Ranma's face of sadness, frustration, and anxiety; and a couple of satisfaction...if you didn't pay attention to exactly where he was looking, you could easily miss their significance, especially as they weren't terribly obvious. Especially the satisfaction; he usually projected such an enormous ego, absolutely dripping with self-confidence, that the only reason anybody would have noted that expression, was by its relative mildness. But it usually popped up when good things happened to other people.

Things that Nabiki had later traced back to his efforts.

And it had been surprisingly hard to trace, too; even for her! Nabiki had been slowly gaining more and more respect for the mind Saotome Ranma hid behind that brash ego. She'd come to believe that he used that façade for many of the same reasons she'd cultivated her Ice Queen persona, and was just as good at it.

A more intensive study of one Saotome Genma had quickly answered her questions as to why Ranma didn't want anybody to know he had a working brain tucked away in that hard skull of his. Ranma's father didn't _want_ a smart son; he would be harder to manipulate. And since _Genma_ would legally end up in sole control of the Tendo Dojo if Ranma married her little sister before he reached his majority, she had a pretty good idea as to why Ranma was so vehement about not getting married to Akane just yet, in spite of his obvious feelings for her.

She wondered if her own father had realized that; and if so, did he actually _trust_ the damned panda not to sell the Dojo out from under them! Nabiki prayed her father wasn't so naïve!

After about a half hour, Nabiki decided Kasumi had had enough time to work her soothing magic on their baby sister. She was just getting up to go find out some details when there was a knock on her door.

Nabiki wasn't particularly startled to find it was her big sister; Kasumi's oblivious façade had never fooled _her,_ after all. She remembered how Kasumi was before their mother's death, and knew very well how observant her older sister really was...as well as how subtle.

"Onee-san?"

"Nabiki-chan..." Kasumi's expression was unusually troubled--which is to say, she wasn't smiling as much as normal. "I'm afraid Akane-chan--may have done something..." Kasumi glanced down as she searched for an appropriate word, hands uncharacteristically wringing in front of her, "...rather..._foolish._"

Nabiki blinked, not sure she'd just heard correctly. Had her eldest sister just called their baby sister--_foolish?_ Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, she asked, "Come on in, Onee-san. What's she done? When she came home, I thought Ranma must have gotten her upset again...?"

Kasumi came in and settled herself on Nabiki's bed, then fastened her eyes on the floor at her feet, biting her lip.

Nabiki settled on her desk chair, trying not to frown. Kasumi actually _looked_ upset as she consciously stilled her hand-wringing, took a deep breath, and looked up at her younger sister, her eyes sad. "Akane-chan...went out with Ryoga-kun on a 'pretend date,' she called it. She said...she had it all planned out, and had explained to Ryoga-kun exactly what they were really doing..."

"Which was...?" Nabiki prompted when Kasumi paused, though it looked like her earlier suspicions had been correct.

"Akane-chan was--trying to make Ranma-kun jealous. She wanted to find out if he really cares about her, and thought..."

Nabiki's lips quirked for a split second before she controlled the impulse to grin. Baby sister was actually trying to be subtle! Too bad she didn't understand the concept in the least, any more than she was ready to admit even to herself that she actually cared about one Saotome Ranma, at all.

Kasumi wasn't finished, though. She looked straight into Nabiki's eyes, troubled beyond words, and went on, "She _kissed_ Ryoga-kun, Imoto-chan! When she was certain Ranma was there to see it!"

Nabiki frowned. "Akane--_initiated_ the kiss?" Kami-sama, the girl couldn't even kiss _Ranma,_ whom everybody with eyes in their heads bloody well _knew _she was in love with! "Or did she have Ryoga--oh, wait; what am I saying, this _is _Ryoga we're talking about..."

Kasumi's expression went tight-lipped, her eyes glinting with an unusually hard emotion for a split second. "Ryoga-kun started the first kiss."

Nabiki stared at her sister, the words circling in her head for a moment before really being understood. "...Ryoga...?" Then the important part hit. "_First_ kiss!" She stared in shock as Kasumi nodded. She should've known the idea of Akane being subtle couldn't be real. Akane was about as subtle as a wrecking ball, in full swing!

"When Ranma-kun...didn't jump in and challenge Ryoga-kun right after the first kiss, and after all the chances he'd had to do it during the date up to then, Akane-chan said she grabbed Ryoga-kun by the ears--and kissed him." The sisters stared at each other in queasy silence for a few moments, unable to believe that Akane had _done _that.

Not so much the idea of kissing Ryoga, in particular; the boy was rather handsome, in a rough sort of way, and endearingly bashful. But--_kissing _a boy; when the girl couldn't even bring herself to kiss the boy she liked--the very one she was trying to make jealous! With all of the hitting and insults and everything else she did to him...!

"One-chan...what did Ranma finally do?" A sense of dread was curling about Nabiki's gut as she asked. Akane had been _so_ upset when she got home--

"Akane-chan said...she was sure he'd do _some_thing, his aura was burning hotter and more angry than she'd ever sensed it, when he saw Ryoga-kun kiss her. But then--it just snuffed out. She couldn't explain it, and I guess she didn't understand what it _could _mean... She just knew he was still there, but wasn't trying to break her and Ryoga-kun apart. She said--that was why she initiated the second kiss. So now--she thinks Ranma-kun...doesn't care about her, at all."

Nabiki jumped to her feet and paced angrily about her room, cursing a blue streak. She was too agitated to even pretend to sit still. Kasumi stayed primly sitting on the bed, tight-lipped, but not disapproving of her language; she rather looked like she wanted to suggest even more descriptive phrases.

The thought that Kasumi probably did know more of them than Nabiki, was--unsettling.

When Nabiki had wound down enough to think coherently, she faced her sister and growled out, "What does that little baka think she's _doing!_ Kami-sama! Any baka can see how much Ranma cares for her--after Jusendo, you'd think she'd finally understand to look at his actions, and not worry about the words he has so much trouble with! Hell, after that mess with _Shinosuke,_ she should've realized the baka loves her enough to let her pick who she wants to be with--even if it's not him! What with all the girls trying to force him into marriage, he knows first-hand how that sort of thing can make somebody feel. Most of his current problems are still hanging because the baka doesn't want to hurt anybody's feelings, let alone mess up their honor! Does Akane really believe he'd try to break her and Ryoga apart, if he thought she really wanted that buto!"

While Nabiki panted with excess frustration, Kasumi closed her eyes, fighting back tears. "There's--something else you should know, Imoto-chan. Ranma-kun...has come up with only one way to resolve his fiancée problems, that won't destroy someone's honor." She opened her eyes, the tears spilling softly down her cheeks.

"What? He's got a way to fix this mess! Why hasn't he--" Nabiki froze, her mouth suddenly dry as dust. She went paler than Kasumi as she thought about Ranma, and his damned over-developed sensed of honor. And _Kasumi's _current tears. "No. Oh, no--he _wouldn't--!"_

Kasumi slowly nodded. "I've gotten into the habit of talking with Ranma-kun in the evenings, usually when he gets back from his job at Nerima General. You should try really talking with him some time, Imoto-chan..."

Nabiki slowly sat back down in her chair, staring at Kasumi. Her legs were too wobbly from the repeated shocks to remain standing. "His--_what?"_

Kasumi sighed, a faint look of annoyance briefly crossing her lovely features. On Kasumi, that look was more shocking than Hurricane Akane in a full rage. "Imoto-chan, _really._ You didn't honestly think Saotome Genma was giving his son an allowance, did you? He had to get the money to give us for his contribution to the household finances from _somewhere, _after all. He knew letting you take those pictures of him all the time wasn't the best way--it was causing too many problems; and he was worried that the betting pools were too risky to rely on so much."

"--He was _letting_ me take all those pictures? You're kidding--!"

"He is a very, very good martial artist, Imoto-chan; and he's used to people trying to ambush him all the time. Did you really think you could sneak up on him? He asked my advice on what shots he should allow you to take. He wasn't sure what was--too much. He didn't enjoy them, either."

Kasumi's stern, slightly disappointed gaze made Nabiki shiver. She tried to shift the subject a bit. "Just what kind of job does he have?"

"He's a night janitor at Nerima General, mainly in the children's and terminal patients' sections, at least three nights every week. He also tries to cheer up the worst-case children; Inohara-sensei is very pleased with the reactions of the patients on the nights Ranma-kun is there, she says there are definite improvements after Ranma-kun has spent time with them. That's why he tends to sleep so much in class...he's not getting much sleep at night.

"Until now, I've been the only other person who knew about his job...and his personal bank account, that he's been keeping secret from Uncle Saotome since he was nine years old. He said that a sensei at one of the dojos they were staying at set it up for him, and taught him the basics about finances." Kasumi's level gaze made Nabiki squirm, even as she mentally berated herself for never asking such an obvious question as 'Where does Ranma get his money from?' She _knew _he wouldn't steal it...that was what Genma would do, and Ranma always made a point of being pretty much his father's opposite, in character.

Nabiki stared at her knees, thinking hard. "One-chan--is Ranma back yet?"

"I don't think so..."

"I've _got _to talk to him first thing when he gets back. He's _got_ to understand what Akane was trying to do, before he does something stupid!" She suddenly stared into Kasumi's eyes, a cold chill passing through her. "He wouldn't--have done it already, would he!"

Kasumi paled, looking scared for a minute, then took a deep breath to calm herself. "I--I don't think so. I don't think he's made any of the preparations he mentioned when he told me he thought he might some day have to do it. He was hoping there was still time for something to happen, to give him another way." She stood quickly. "I'll check the dojo and the koi pond, just in case." She was out the door faster than Nabiki had seen her sister move in years. Ranma, himself couldn't have moved any faster!

Nabiki stood and set her face in her Ice Queen façade, eyes like chips of brown ice as she headed for Akane's room. She'd let her baby sister screw up her own life through her delusions for far too long; it was time for a little lesson in reality, about what certain reactions to certain things really meant...and about the apparently arcane concept of '_consequences._'

_Oooo, this one is fun! I just love digging down deep into characters' psyches. :brandishing pickaxe and smiling broadly, an insane glint flashing from maniacal eyes while beginning a swing:_

** THWOCK! **

_Ita-a-ai...::delicately setting dangerous pickaxe down, then hopping away on uninjured foot...:_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2, and I'm making no money off this. :drops head and sighs, then suddenly perks up: But this sure is fun to write!_

Chapter 2 

After seeing Akane safely back at the Tendo-ke, Ranma quietly slipped around back, vaulting into the yard and up to the window of the room he shared with his Pop. He'd grabbed his pack and slipped back out and into the dojo before Akane started sobbing in her room, so didn't hear it. As far as he knew, she'd just gotten home from a really nice evening with the guy she apparently l--l--

_--loved..._

Ranma had to sit and breathe for a few minutes to get the pain that thought brought him under control. His hands had started shaking so hard he couldn't even get the pen and paper out of his pack. He wrapped his arms about himself and rocked back and forth, eyes wide and unseeing as tears leaked free; while the nearly stabbing pain in his heart slowly eased.

When he finally thought he had himself under enough control, he dug through his pack to find his white gi. He laid it out by the Tendo alter, carefully smoothing out the few wrinkles. He then grabbed the pen and paper and quickly listed the names of the people who were going to receive letters from him.

It wouldn't do to forget anyone. Seppuku was final; he wouldn't be able to come back and fix such an omission.

It was obvious, looking at the unusually sloppy mess of his writing, that he needed to be calmer before writing any of those letters, or no one would be able to read them! Bowing his head, he sighed, before setting the pen and list back in his pack and propping it near the Tendo alter. He retreated to the center of the dojo and stood for a moment, just breathing. Then he began his kata.

He started with the simplest, moving through the patterns with the unconscious, thoughtless ease of true mastery. Every move flowed gracefully and powerfully into the next, the change from one form to another seamless. He meant to go through every single kata of the Saotome Ryuu, in order of difficulty, without breaking a sweat. Time lost meaning as he lost himself in the forms--the thrill of perfection of movement brought his mind into a calmed state of no-thought. His emotions were slowly pushed to the side, supplanted by the serenity of his Art.

"Ranma-kun!"

The normally soft voice raised to a relieved cry brought him up from the depths of his meditative state, his awareness returning abruptly enough to nearly make him stumble and lose his place. He brought the kata to a halt and turned to face Kasumi, who was nearly out of breath, leaning against the door frame as her knees seemed to wobble.

"Kasumi...?" He blinked, confused. He'd never seen Kasumi looking upset! What was wrong!

"Ranma-kun--we have to talk." She took a deep breath and started walking towards him, still breathing heavily, a determined look on her unsmiling face. One hand was fisted within the grip of the other, in front of her.

Ranma swallowed heavily, a sense of dread creeping through his gut. Had _he _done something to make Kasumi unhappy! Kami-sama! He couldn't think of anything, but that didn't mean much. He never really knew how he made _any _girl unhappy, most of the time; he just knew it happened, and it was somehow always his fault. And no one would ever explain any of it to him! They'd either laugh, or decry his lack of people skills...

He stayed standing in the middle of the dojo until Kasumi came up and took his hand in a firm grip, turning and leading him back to the house and in to the dining table, without a word. She gently pushed him down to sit and brought over the tea she'd already prepared, her normally serene face troubled.

"Kasumi? What--what's wrong? D-did I do somethin'--"

He didn't get to finish before she was shaking her head. "No, Ranma-kun--no, _you_ haven't done anything wrong! It's something I'm afraid you _might_ do that's worrying me, something that can't be undone--and isn't necessary." Suspiciously liquid brown eyes caught and held his. "Someone--has done something very cruel to you tonight, Ranma-kun, and I don't want you to make any decisions without knowing what _really _happened!"

Now completely confused, Ranma gulped. "Uhm...who's done what ta me? I don't understand...nobody's even attacked me, since noon...!" Somebody must have done something truly terrible, for _Kasumi _to call them cruel! What could it be! How could he have missed noticing it happening to him!

Kasumi shook her head, blinking her eyes to clear them. She took one of Ranma's hands where it was resting on the table into both of hers, looking intently into his eyes. "Ranma-kun--I know what you think you saw tonight, between my Imoto-chan and Ryoga-kun. I want you to know--it _wasn't _what you thought it was."

Ranma looked down at the table, tension once more quivering through him, all the calming of his kata undone. The image of Akane yanking Ryoga's head down into that second kiss replayed over and over in front of his eyes, open or closed, no matter how hard he tried to banish it. He had to concentrate to keep his breathing even, to not involuntarily crush Kasumi's hands as they held his.

"It looked pretty damned clear ta me. I don't see how I could've misunderstood her kissin' him like that."

Kasumi winced at the bitterness in his emotion-rough voice. "Ranma-kun--she knew you were watching, she knew you'd been following them all through that pretend date. She was trying to prove to herself that you do care about her; enough to get jealous, enough to wreck her date with another boy."

Confused, and still hurt, blue eyes raised to meet brown. "Hunh? She--_wanted_ me to wreck her date! Are you tryin' ta tell me she actually _wanted_ me ta pick a fight with Ryoga, for a change!" He stared at Kasumi, incredulous, as she nodded. Then he sighed and looked down for a moment, more bewildered than ever; and still feeling that deep emotional pain.

"I know it sounds odd, Ranma-kun...but right now, Akane-chan is up in her room crying her eyes out, because she thinks you don't care about her."

"That's crazy!" Ranma drew back, mind a-whirl with confusion...and a small flicker of hope. Maybe...maybe Kasumi was right. Maybe Akane wasn't in love with Ryoga after all!

But still...

He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "That don't really change nothin', Kasumi. I _know _Akane don't wanna marry a freak like me; she's been clear enough 'bout that right from day one. I _ain't _gonna force her into marryin' somebody she hates, no matter what our fathers say." His head bowed down, he gently removed his hand from Kasumi's grip and leaned heavily on the table, hunched over now-crossed arms. His voice was soft, and suffused with emotion when he all but whispered, "I love her too much ta do that to her." Kasumi knew his eyes would be suspiciously watery, were she to see them just then.

There was a soft gasp from behind Ranma at his barely audible words. His head came up as he stiffened, terrified panic crossing his features for a moment, followed by grim determination as he turned to face whoever it was.

Akane stood at the base of the stairs, one hand pressed against the wall, the other fisted against her chest. She was wide-eyed with shock, staring at Ranma, her lip trembling. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face still blotchy from recent heavy crying.

Ranma nearly went sprawling as he scrambled to his feet, backing a couple steps away from her, finding himself unable to look away from those tear-reddened brown eyes. His face was a mix of embarrassment, sorrow, anger; a deep hurt...and shame. All he could think was that he'd made her cry--_again. _

He tried to get his emotions under control, tried to put himself into the Soul of Ice, but couldn't manage it. The emotions were too strong, too confusing.

Akane took a hesitant step towards him, one hand reaching out uncertainly, eyes glued to his face. "D-did you mean it? Ranma?" Her voice was barely audible, breathy and hesitant. Deep brown eyes held a flicker of hope.

"I--I-I--I--" Ranma stuttered and took another step backwards, away from her. Both sisters saw the flicker of fear that passed across his expression, that was fast followed by hopelessness; both saw the tremble in his limbs.

Then Ranma stopped moving, took a deep breath, and slumped; arms loose at his sides, turning his face down and away. "...Yeah." It was almost too soft to be heard. His face was a bright enough red to put the ripest tomato to shame.

He certainly wasn't expecting to suddenly find himself made breathless by a glomp of Amazonian proportions, even as Akane started crying again, with broken words mixed in. _"Ranma no_ _baka! _...You...you _do_ care... I--I didn't--didn't think you did...! I-I thought..._you_--hated _me_...b-because of how I've t-treated you...s-so I c-couldn't...let our f-fathers--force _you_ to--to marry s-somebody _you _h-h-hated--!"

Ranma stared down at the top of Akane's head as she tried to squeeze the breath out of him, too astonished to be nervous. Akane--thought _he_ hated _her!_

Unable to draw breath to get a word in edgewise, Ranma somewhat desperately squeezed his hands between the two of them at stomach level and carefully, _very_ carefully, worked them up--palms to his _own _chest--until they were at her shoulders. He then gently pushed against her, just enough to get a much-needed breath, even as little sparkles started at the edges of his vision.

If he hadn't desperately needed to breathe, he'd never have risked it--the backs of his hands had to more than lightly brush Akane's bosom in the process, something he was certain would earn him an immediate mallet to the head!

He'd never, _ever _have tried that with Shampoo. Not in a million years! If he got his hands anywhere near that Amazon's breasts, and Akane saw it somewhere other than in her imagination, he figured his life expectancy would have been about two seconds!

Not to mention that it would have encouraged Shampoo. That Amazon did _not_ need any least hint of encouragement from him!

Akane suddenly noticed that Ranma was apparently pushing her away. She'd been too upset to even notice his hands moving, until she felt the pressure on her shoulders. She looked up, confused, but unwilling to let him go. When she got a good look at the interesting shade of blue his face was turning, she gasped and immediately let go, apologizing, while he bent over double and gratefully sucked in several lungs-full of air.

As soon as he had his breath under control, Ranma straightened and stared incredulously at Akane. "How could you think I hated you! After everythin' I've done for you? Kami-sama, Akane, I--I _killed_ for you! There's _nobody_ else I'd'a done _that_ for!"

Akane stared into anguished blue eyes, sniffling back her still-flowing tears as he went on, "You were the first person ta even offer ta be my friend in--in _years!_ I couldn't blame you fer changin' your mind, when you found out about my curse...'specially now that it's likely I'll _never_ get a cure..." His eyes dropped in shame.

Akane couldn't let that go, especially not with so much unaccustomed and bitter self-hatred lacing his voice. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, briefly. Suspiciously liquid blue met astonished brown, as Akane suddenly realized just how close to actually _crying _Ranma was--in his male form!

"_Baka!_ Your curse doesn't matter to me, not anymore; it hasn't mattered for a long time! You're still _you,_ whichever form you're in. That's all that matters to me! I--" She gulped a deep breath, remembering her recent lecture from Nabiki, mere minutes ago. Nabiki had pulled no verbal punches, and had forced Akane to see that she'd been behaving like a spoiled little princess for far too long--hurting those around her, without even noticing she was doing it...all the while complaining that people weren't being considerate of _her_ feelings.

Nabiki hadn't given her a chance to respond before finishing what she had to say. Akane had been somewhat frightened by the unaccustomed intensity in her normally cool and collected sister...as well as the completely unexpected _anger._ The times she had seen Nabiki truly angry could be counted on the fingers of one hand--with three fingers left over. Even after today!

Nabiki's most vehement words came when she sarcastically commented that _Akane _had the nerve to call _Ranma_ insensitive--while repeatedly ripping his heart right out of his chest and leaving him where he lay, still bleeding. Nabiki had then detailed Ranma's reactions to some of the things she'd done, mainly malleting him without even once considering that he might not be at fault for something.

"I-I was--jealous, of you." Akane looked down, letting go of Ranma as he looked at her in shock. Arms straight and fists at her sides as shame burned on her face, she went on softly, "Until you came along, I was the best martial artist in Nerima--but suddenly, there was somebody who was as far above me, as I was above those bakas I had to fight every morning at school. Not only that, but I was supposed to _marry_ this stranger who was better than me--who'd inherit _my_ family's dojo, and would be the heir to _my_ Ryuu of Anything Goes, too! And to add insult to injured pride, this rude, brash new fiancé that I'd never even heard of before had this weird magic curse, that not only made him into a girl--but one who was _so _much more beautiful than me--"

Ranma snorted, interrupting her. "You're jokin'! My girl form's just cute--you're _beautiful."_

He said it in such a matter-of-fact way, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, that Akane's widened eyes jumped back up to his, shocked. "Y-you think I'm b-b-beautiful?"

Ranma looked at her like she'd gone crazier than Kodachi. "'Course! Why do ya think all those boys are always chasin' after ya!"

Akane blinked, confused, as anger started to nibble at the corners of her mind. "Then why are you always calling me 'un-cute'!"

It was Ranma's turn to blink. No one had ever bothered to ask him that before; he'd thought they knew! "'Cause malletin' somebody for somethin' he didn't do ain't 'cute,' an' yellin' at me for it ain't 'cute,' either. And doin' somethin' for somebody without thinkin' about how they'll feel about it ain't cute."

Akane looked off to the side, a flat-eyed stare that made Ranma sweat-drop and thank the kamis it wasn't aimed directly at him. She muttered, "I can't believe Nabiki was right. I should've known, when she offered to bet money on it--kami-sama, I can't believe I bet against _Nabiki!"_"

"Hunh...?"

She looked back at a completely befuddled Ranma, a smile slowly lighting up her face. "It's nothing, just something Nabiki just told me turned out to be true. Let me get this straight. When you've been insulting me--you've been insulting my _behavior,_ not my looks?"

Ranma swallowed, trying very hard not to back away from her. "Y-y-yeah. Y-you--didn't know that! Don't you ever look in a mirror?" It was obvious by his expression that Ranma was completely dumbfounded that she didn't realize how beautiful she was.

Akane's smile--_twitched._ Just for a second. Ranma's eyes started to flicker to her hands every few seconds, watching for mallets.

She frowned when she saw that; and his slight, whole-body flinch when her hands fisted...the subtle body language of somebody expecting to be hit at any moment. The anger that had flared at his comment was doused by the cold chill of remorse, as she realized that Ranma really expected her to hit him for the least little thing.

It wasn't a pleasant realization. She thought about what _she _would have done, and felt, in Ranma's place; with a fiancée prone to hitting her for any little perceived fault--real or not. It made her sick to her stomach.

Why in kami-sama's name had he stayed faithful to her!The way she'd treated him, he should've been _more _than happy to turn to one of his other fiancées! They were prettier, they were better at the Art--hell, they could _cook_ without creating a new and dangerous life form, or a serious biohazard!

Unknown to her family, Akane had actually tasted her last creation in the kitchen--or tried to, before it ran out the door and down the block, to eventually be confused with one of the Youma the Sailor Senshi were always fighting over in Juuban District. The little taste she'd gotten had been--more than eye-opening. And mouth-opening. And stomach-emptying...

And she'd been trying to force Ranma to eat _that!_ _Kami-sama! _No _wonder_ he thought she was trying to kill him whenever she cooked for him! A fresh wave of shame over her inability to cook even the simplest thing washed over her.

The tears started back up in earnest as she suddenly realized, _really_ realized--Ranma thought she was beautiful. _Ranma_--thought _she_ was beautiful; and the baka had always assumed she had the self-confidence to know it about herself. Akane dropped to her knees, hugging herself, face down so her bangs hid her overflowing eyes.

And he'd even tried to eat her cooking! Even if it was reluctantly... He'd _tried!_ More than once! That was more than her own family would do!

Ranma hovered in front of her as she cried, completely out of his depth. He never knew what to do with a weeping girl; much less this one, that he cared about more than any other! He wasn't even sure--as usual!--just _why_ the heck she was crying! All he knew was that it must've been his fault; and he didn't know what to _do_ about it!

Kasumi came to his rescue. She gently touched his shoulder to get his panicked attention, then nodded at her little sister, whispering, "Hold her, Ranma-kun. It's what she needs right now, from you."

Ranma looked at Kasumi in disbelief for a minute, frozen, his hands shaking. She held his eyes, smiling her serene smile, and nodded encouragingly. Ranma looked down at the still-sobbing Akane, then back at Kasumi; then he took a deep, shaky breath, and knelt down right next to the weeping girl. He hesitantly stretched an arm behind her, to hover just above her shoulders; paused to send one more look of trepidation at Kasumi. Then he softly laid it over Akane's shoulders in a light hug.

Instead of a mallet, Ranma suddenly found himself with a lap-full of sobbing fiancée as Akane hopped over, grabbed his neck, and firmly buried her face in his shoulder. His shirt was rapidly soaked as he stared in panic at Kasumi, who was trying not to giggle too loudly, one hand over her mouth. Her trademark "Oh, my!" came with a _very_ large smile. She nodded in satisfaction at Ranma and turned to head into the kitchen, leaving behind a highly distressed pig-tailed martial artist with absolutely no clue as to what he was_ doing--!_

She very carefully did not notice the too-comical look of betrayal he sent her way.

A smirking Nabiki then stepped in front of Ranma, looking like the cat who'd just eaten the canary _and_ raided the creamery. As Ranma froze up with an oh-so-eloquent _"Gllk!"_ she whispered, sotto-voice, "Way to go, Romeo! I'll go make sure our fathers stay distracted--it's on the house, this one time." As Ranma's too-open face clearly showed his skepticism, she snickered. "I'd advise you to get Akane up into bed quick as you can. Get a good night's sleep, little brother..._not!"_

Ranma's eyes about fell out as he gaped at Nabiki, stunned. She'd just called him 'little brother!' That almost overrode his shock at her telling him to _"get Akane up into bed."_ He resolutely decided she must have meant, _'put Akane in her own bed, then leave her room.'_

Though with Nabiki, you could never be sure...

He yanked his mind back as she finished speaking. He did _not_ need those kinds of thoughts running through his head--definitely _not _with Akane sitting right there in his lap! She already thought he was the world's biggest hentai after Happosai!

Ranma had hung around Hiroshi and Daisuke long enough to finally have figured out just what the hell a 'hentai'_ is._ And that--_film_--the teacher showed his class, two weeks ago--had NOT been the kind of nature film he'd been expecting, with a title about birds and bees!

"...You and me, we've gotta talk in the morning." Nabiki's face went dead serious and she held his eyes with her fierce gaze, her normal ice gone to flames. "You are _not_ going to commit seppuku, Saotome Ranma! Between all of us, we _will_ find another way!" She then turned and sauntered almost calmly out, headed off to make sure Soun and Genma would stay out drinking all night long. All she had to do was make sure the bartender kept their drinks full; she'd arrange a one-night tab, and just hope they didn't drain the bar's whole stocks of beer and sake.

Akane's sobs had stopped dead at the word 'seppuku.' Her face came up, her beautiful brown eyes going straight for Ranma's, a look of shock on her face. "What--! _Seppuku! _Ranma--what did Nabiki mean by that! I thought your mother had declared you a 'man among men,' that you were safe from that stupid agreement!"

Ranma flinched, looking down at the floor, away from her. He didn't really want to tell Akane about the only solution he'd found to the fiancée mess--especially now that he'd found out she apparently did care for him, after all.

He thought.

Maybe...?

She hadn't actually _said_ anything about liking him, after all...just not wanting to force him into marrying somebody she thought he didn't love. Then again, he hadn't exactly come right out and told her his own feelings, either! It sure looked to him like they'd both been pretending they didn't care; just because of their _baka_ fathers, and all those other complications chasing after each of them with death-threats and marriage agreements.

He was pretty sure she wouldn't have latched on to him like she just had, if she didn't care at least a _little _bit...would she? Though...Akane _had _proved just that very evening that she could kiss a boy, namely Ryoga, without liking him in _that_ way...hadn't she. Unless she really did like Ryoga, and Kasumi was totally wrong...which would be stranger than Nabiki deciding to spend her life doing charity work, of her own free will. Ranma knew very well that Kasumi wasn't nearly as unobservant as others took her to be; he'd actually listened to her when they talked late at night, after all.

Akane was determined to see his eyes. She reached up and gently grabbed his chin, pulling his face back around to her. She stared into his exceptionally blue eyes, the fear in hers easy for him to see for a change.

He didn't ever want to see Akane afraid. She didn't deserve that!

He sighed, slumping a bit as he still held on to her. He tore his eyes away from her beautiful brown ones to stare again at the ground beside him, as Akane's hands settled on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he said heavily, "It's--the only way to honorably solve the whole engagement mess."

Akane shook her head sharply, blue-black hair flying; denying that solution with everything in her. "No! How will your dying solve anything!" Her hands tightened almost painfully.

Ranma briefly closed his eyes, grimacing. When he opened them, he looked straight into her eyes. "Do you know what the consequences are, to Uc-chan an' Shampoo, if they don't marry me?" His gaze was intent, and more serious than she could ever remember seeing him. "Uc-chan--she'll be disowned by her family; made _ronin!_ She don't deserve that! And Shampoo--if she fails a second time, the Amazon Council will likely have her _killed!_ That's why Cologne's used some of those dirty tactics of hers--she don't want her great-granddaughter to die!

"I can't--I _can't _just tell either one of 'em 'no,' not while those are the consequences! So long as they're still chasing after me, there's still hope of findin' another solution, with enough time." His amazingly blue eyes were dark with anguish, and a plea for her to understand, for once!

Akane's eyes had gone wide. She hadn't ever really thought about the true consequences to Ranma's other fiancées if they lost, other than the obvious--that they wouldn't have Ranma as a husband. She'd never thought about just what would _happen _to them. She should have; especially with the Amazons and their barbaric laws. After all, the first time Shampoo went back to her village in failure, they'd cursed her at Jusenkyo! If death wasn't the punishment for a second failure, it was likely something _worse!_

All the color drained from her face and her hands started to shake slightly as she considered things, for the first time, from Ranma's perspective. He might toss insults around like they meant nothing, but he really was a caring person in all the ways that really counted. He'd do anything, including risking death without a second thought, to help someone he thought of as a friend--even if that person didn't think of _him_ as a friend. Even if they'd gone out of their way to make his life miserable.

What were they going to do! Ukyo--the okonomiyaki chef could have been one of Akane's best friends, if the engagements to Ranma didn't stand between them. Akane didn't want to see her hurt any more than Ranma did. There had to be a way to satisfy her honor, that Ukyo would accept in lieu of marriage! There just had to be!

And Shampoo... Annoying as the overly buxom and bubbly Amazon was, Akane had to respect her martial arts skills, and all the things that Cologne could still teach them. Again, if it wasn't for that deplorable Outsider Law of theirs, Akane was sure the Amazons could have been friends. When it counted, for Ranma's sake, they had been helpful in the past when they didn't need to be; when it would have been in Shampoo's best interests to stand aside.

Didn't they have some kind of loophole in that stupid law that could apply? What if the outsider who'd beaten Shampoo was some kind of repulsive sicko? Surely the tribe wouldn't want that kind of tainted blood added to their lines! There must be _something--!_

Akane gasped softly. Ranma, who'd been watching the tumultuous play of emotions across her face with a fair amount of worry, caught the gleam of sudden hope in her eyes. He looked a question at her, and she grinned at him when she said, simply, "Nabiki!"

Ranma blinked, his expression going sour. "Ri-i-ight. And just how much is she gonna charge me...? My soul! Ain't no way I've got enough money, to pay her to fix _this_ mess!"

Akane shook her head, sharply. "No, baka--_I'm _going to ask her to straighten things out. For _me."_ Her wonderful brown eyes went sharp as her expression firmed with determination. "She'll do it, too; if she knows what's good for her! I've put up with a lot that she's done, over the years, since Mom died; and after what she did to our wedding--she _owes_ us."

Ranma swallowed, hard, looking at his fiancée's determined face. He really felt sorry for Nabiki, if she didn't want to help...Akane looked ready to pound her sister like she usually pounded _him!_

Though...come to think of it, Nabiki had kind of already promised her help, when she said she wanted to see him in the morning. So she was probably already working on it.

An unexpected rush of powerful emotions caused Ranma to wrap his arms about Akane and pull his fiancée close, burying his face in her shoulder as he held tightly to her, trembling. Akane let out a small squeak of surprise, nearly malleting him out of pure reflex before catching herself.

A sudden dampness on her shoulder widened her eyes in surprise. She trembled slightly herself at the enormity of Saotome Ranma, in his male form--_crying._ She brought her arms up to hug him back, leaning her head on top of his, as his torso shook and he let out what sounded suspiciously like a choked-off sob.

Akane's expression softened, and her eyes went watery. She started whispering reassurances to her fiancé; that things would work out all right--everything would be okay...Nabiki would fix everything; that was her sister's specialty, manipulating people! Before long, all of the pent-up emotions that Ranma had been suppressing for most of his life had bubbled up beyond his control, and he was clinging to her as a drowning man to a life raft while horrible, choked-off sobs were all but wrenched from deep within him.

She stayed in his lap and held him tightly for a long while, rocking slightly, rubbing his back; running her hand through his soft, fine black hair; whispering until she was hoarse. She didn't know how long they stayed like that before he finally went limp against her; the awful, trembling tension relaxing out of his muscles with the onset of sleep, his arms still holding her.

She carefully worked herself off his lap, keeping one arm firmly about his shoulders so he wouldn't topple to the floor. With a bit of effort, she managed to pick him up, bridal-style, and carefully carried him up the stairs and into the guest room he shared with his baka panda of a father. Being 'strong as a gorilla' did have its uses.

One foot flipped the covers back so she could gently lay him down on his futon. She bit her lip as she stared at his unusually tear-stained face, that still showed his pain even in sleep, while pulling the covers over him.

When she stood to leave, a quiet whimper drew her eyes back to him. Even asleep, he was turning towards her, one hand reaching out from under the covers towards her. Wiping at her own tearing eyes, Akane settled down to sit at his shoulder, taking his hand in both of hers.

Ranma's head ended up in her lap minutes later, after she'd watched him twist and turn until his forehead rested against her knee, his other hand coming out to grip hers. She'd sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling at what she was about to do; then scooted around so she was kneeling where his pillow had been a moment before. She then carefully pulled Ranma's limp weight back over so his head rested in her lap.

His face had finally smoothed into calmness at that, his breathing loosing a strain that she hadn't realized was there. He slept peacefully through until morning, his chosen fiancée watching over him, unwilling to leave.

_:getting ready to duck all that thrown fruit: I do believe I'm done with this one. Now Ranma and Akane will be jumping over into my Fruits Basket fanfic, "Neko's Healing," at Chapter 9. I should start posting that one shortly...I want to polish a couple things first._

_If anybody feels ambitious enough to want to take this one forward from this point, staying strictly in the Ranmaverse, go ahead--just let me know so I can take a peek, too! g! _


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